The Marriage
by inufan424
Summary: SEQUEL to Downfall. AU: The time has come! Kags and Inu have a wedding on their hands. What terrors must they face to finally reach the alter? Telling a parent, bridal shower gifts--dun dun DUN, and dealing with a loss...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Here's the sequel to _Downfall_. Read. Enjoy. Review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha. I don't even really own Mika.

**Chapter 1**

_**Graduation Day I**_

"Inuyasha!" I shouted over the crowd, trying to find him in the sea of red and white robes and caps.

I looked around, and when I turned back I saw his head pop out in the crowd, calling my name. I waved high over my head. He smiled and shoved his way towards me. "Hey, you. Are you excited?"

"A little, I guess. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But we'll still see each other a lot, right?"

"That, and we'll be spending the rest of our lives together…maybe a little space in the beginning will be good, who knows."

"Maybe…but I don't think I'd ever be able to get sick of you."

He laughed. "You say that now."

"And I mean it now…wait. Do you think you'll get sick of me?" I asked, a hint of panic seeping into my voice.

"Impossible. How could I ever get sick of you? I love you."

"Good. If you didn't…well, I don't know what I would do with myself."

"I have to go and get in line to sit. I'll catch up with you later?"

"Of course. Good luck."

He leaned in to kiss me and then turned to head to his spot in the alphabetized line. I grabbed his arm before he got out of my reach. He looked at me, curious. "What?"

"I love you, too."

His face softened and he bent his head to kiss me again. "I have to go; I'll be late."

I nodded and smiled at him. He was graduating, and I was stuck here in high school for another year while he went off to college. I was sad that I wouldn't be able to see him very much anymore, but happy at the same time as I looked down at the diamond ring on my left hand. We'd been engaged for not even a week and I still wasn't used to it.

I looked up to see the far end of the football field I was on clearing of people, all heading to the bleachers to watch their friends or family get their diploma. I spotted Mika and went to sit by her. She smiled in excitement as she saw me coming up the metal steps.

I sat and looked up to watch the extensive list of seniors lining up at the right side of the stage and waiting for their name to be called. I spotted Miroku in one of the earlier groups and cheered for him. I could hear Sango above most of the crowd…along with many other girls.

When I saw the next row of seniors walking toward the stage, my stomach did a somersault. I saw Koga walking in between a few of his friends. He looked happy, but I knew that I had hurt him inside very badly by saying that I hated him. At the time, it seemed like the only thing I could say. What else could I have said to get him to get it through his thick head that I broke up with him?

He looked up at the crowd after he was handed the scroll of paper and he looked directly at me, his eyes turning sorrowful. I gave him a weak smile and he turned his head away from me. He raised his hands above his head and acted like he had before—happy.

Finally, I saw Inuyasha stand up with his row and walk forward. He looked at me and winked. As he approached the stage, I got ready to cheer as loudly as I could and that's when I noticed the beach balls being chased by teachers, the students having fun playing keep-away.

I looked up just in time to see Inuyasha standing at the foot of the steps that lead up to the stage. He looked at me one last time and then his name was called I stood up and cheered as loud as my lung would allow, Mika doing the same. I could hear the cheers of others as well, but I, triumphantly, was the loudest. He smiled wide and cheered as well after he had his diploma. The rest of the ceremony went by too slowly. As soon as everyone threw their caps into the air, I was speeding loudly down the metal steps and towards Inuyasha. He was coming my way as well.

I hugged him and congratulated him. "Well, how does it feel?"

"Awesome."

"That's it?"

"Well, it also feels a little depressing, since I wont be able to see you every day anymore."

"Well, for now just feel happy. Let's go out to celebrate!"

Mika came racing up to us and nearly tackled Inuyasha. "Hey, Mika."

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks, kid."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I mean thanks."

"Your welcome. Now where do you want to go?"

"Same place as Miroku. You remember that Italian restaurant we went to, Kagome?"

"The one from our first date?"

"Yeah, that one."

"We're going there?"

"Yep. Me, Miroku, and a few other guys rented the whole place. You should invite your mom. There's plenty of space."

"You rented out the _whole_ thing?"

"Yep. Now come on, we have to get there soon."

We headed out to Sango's SUV, since we all came together. When we pulled up to the restaurant, I looked in awe at all the decorations that had been put up. The inside was even more amazing. There was music playing—and not the classical crap they always play.

Banners were hung all over congratulating Inuyasha, Miroku, and a few other names. I found the table that Inuyasha and I would be sitting at fairly easily; it was huge and had an enormous _"Congrats!"_ cake in the middle. I walked around some more before Inuyasha came up from behind me and grabbed my waist.

"Hey," he whispered into my ear, his hot breath sending a shiver through my body. I turned my head and looked up at him from an odd angle. His eyes were fixed on me and me alone. His face wore a softer expression than I was used to seeing.

I was so caught up in his intense amber eyes that I jumped when Sango spoke up from behind him. I took his hands and pulled them apart, releasing my waist so that I could go and talk to her. "Hey, Sango."

"Doesn't this place look amazing?"

"Yeah, it's awesome."

"When are the people supposed be here, Inuyasha? Miroku told me but…I forgot."

"They should be here around six-thirty. Why?"

"Because! I can't wait to show off my new _college_ boyfriend to everyone!"

I shook my head and Inuyasha looked at me, his eyes rolling skyward.

"Well, they should be here soon. Where's Miroku?"

"He's taking care of some last minute decorations or something."

"Last minute….? I better go find him."

"Last I saw him he was near the entrance."

"See you later, Kagome."

I managed a weak "bye" before he left, still wondering why he was looking at me like that. It was strange…he hardly ever looked at me like that…

"Kagome!"

I spun around to see Yuka and Ayumi coming in my direction. They had gotten here early. "Hey, guys! It seems like it's been forever since we talked."

"It has, though! We haven't talked to you in practically a month!"

"Really? Has it been that long?"

"Well, we haven't really had a real conversation in that long. Just the occasional 'hellos' in passing."

"Well, I'm sorry. I've just been so wrapped up in things that I totally didn't realize I hadn't talked to you."

I really hadn't thought about it until now, but I did miss them.

"More like wrapped up in Inuyasha!"

I could feel the blood heating my cheeks. "Well…yes, him…and other things…"

Like marriage proposals and hurting my ex's feelings really badly...

"Like what?"

_Oh, crap. What do I say, what do I say?!_ "Well, you know…busy getting ready for finals and…um, my mom has been a bit of a wreck and whatnot…" I hate lying. I'm not so good at it. Hopefully they believed that…

They seemed to, their faces softening slightly in sympathy. "Sorry…"

"No, it's totally fine! I'm fine! Don't I look fine? I feel fine…" Uh-oh. Starting to sound suspicious. _Shut up, Kagome! Just close your mouth, and stop talking!_

"Yeah, you look great! I've never seen you seem so…so happy!"

I shot a glance in the direction Inuyasha had gone. They noticed that. "It's because of him, isn't it? Admit it, Kagome. You're in love."

"You could say that…" In fact, that was putting it lightly. Very lightly.

The squealed excitedly. "I knew it! You guys were always looking at each other with those gushy eyes and stuff! Have you said it yet?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god! You _have_?!"

"Yeah. What about it?" No need to lie here.

"You were with Koga for much longer and you never said it…right?"

"Yeah, that's right," I said, a little bitter. "Inuyasha isn't Koga. If he were, I would have ended it already. Inuyasha is much better than Koga, actually."

Just then, speak of the devil, Inuyasha came up and stood at my side, his arm loosely around my shoulder. Yuka and Ayumi eyed us, then looked at each other in sideways glances.

"We'll see you later, Kagome." They walked away together, small smiles on their faces.

"What was that about?"

"I was just telling them that we said we loved each other. For some reason, they flipped out."

"Well, I for one am perfectly fine with it."

"You'd better be. Was anything wrong with Miroku?"

"No, he was just being…Miroku."

"A lecher?"

"No, not exactly…he was...how do I put this? He wanted to hire a stripper for later. I caught him while he was trying to arrange it for after everyone left."

"What would he have done if everyone but me left and the stripper came?"

"Enjoy himself."

"_Still_? Even with me here?"

"Probably. Not much is disturbing to him…he, however, is very disturbing to most."

"So, you got this taken care of, right?"

"Yeah, everything's straightened out. Miroku lost this one."

"Good. I would have dragged you with me when I left anyway…stripper or not."

"I figured that."

"You know me well."

"Yes, I do."

"But not quite well enough, in my opinion."

He simply rolled his eyes.

A short time later, people started arriving, filling in the tables and greeting others.

I clung to Inuyasha's arm the whole night, even through the talking with his friends who made a bit of fun of us about looking like we were married. Oh, the irony, I wanted to say. Instead, I just kept to myself and occasionally joined into conversations if it was necessary.

After a long night of greetings and 'good-luck's and 'have fun in college's, we all went to Sango's car and I drove, Sango having had a couple of glasses of wine. Stupid Miroku.

I went to Inuyasha's house and we let Miroku drive Sango home; though I'm sure they wouldn't go to bed—sleeping, I mean—until a lot later, what with Sango being giggly and touchy-feely. Again I say, stupid Miroku.

"So, do you feel different?"

"I feel like I did yesterday and every other day this year."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. Bad. Both. I don't know."

"Decisions, decisions."

"Indeed."

"So…what do you want to do?"

"What do you want to do?"

I opened my mouth to answer but he stopped me. "Never mind. It doesn't matter, we aren't doing that yet."

I just raised my eyebrows innocently.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"How about…we go on the roof and watch the stars?"

"That sounds great. Let's go."

**A/N: **There you go. Any questions? Comments? Review, por favor. TTFN.

+TORI+


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Would have updated sooner, but some stories were calling me more than this one

**A/N: **Would have updated sooner, but some stories were calling me more than this one! You know how it is…some are more fun to write than others.

**Chapter 2**

As we sat on the roof, Inuyasha's arm wrapped around me, I began to wonder how long we would have to go through this engagement. It would be nearly a year and a half.

"So…what college did you decide on?"

He looked at me. "I told you, the one in Tokyo."

"Well, it's not like we're going to die if you go to one outside of Tokyo. I know you got into others."

His brows furrowed; he didn't remember telling me that. Well, he didn't tell me that. "Mika told me."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with going to a college that's farther away, is there?"

"Yes, there is."

"What?"

"You don't seem to realize this, but I can't be that far away from you. first of all, you're a tad too accident prone, and second of all, it would make me go insane to be away from you most of the time."

"But…I'll be in school a lot, too. We both will. We won't be able to see each other every day once you move into an apartment there. We'll live farther apart, anyway. What are a few extra miles?"

"A few miles, a hundred miles…either way, I won't increase the distance between us any more than I already have to. Let's drop this now, because you'll never talk me out of it."

We didn't talk for several minutes, but I felt like I had to say _something_, so I tried to make more conversation. "What is that Tokyo college called again? I forgot…"

"Chuo University."

"Oh…and your major was…law?"

"Yep. CU is renowned for that particular major, so I chose there."

"You want to be, what? A lawyer?"

"Yeah, a defense lawyer."

"What's the difference between that and others?"

He laughed, which I thought meant that it was _obvious_. "Well, there are a lot of different kinds of lawyers. Some only handle divorce cases, or criminal cases, or insurance…but a defense lawyer handles a wider variety of cases."

"So…you couldn't decide on one so you chose defense?"

"Pretty much. Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"What are you going to major in?"

"Oh I dunno…probably something that involves numbers and math…"

He laughed, like he should have known I'd say that. "Not an accountant, I hope…"

I looked up at him. "Why not?"

"People don't always like accountants…"

"True. I could work with computers or something…programming them and stuff."

We fell silent for almost an hour before I started to feel sleepy. "Inuyasha, I'm tired. Can you take me home now?"

"Sure."

We pulled up in front of my house, and after we kissed goodnight, I made my way up the long steps. I sometimes wished it were an escalator.

I snuck into the house, knowing my mom and brother were already asleep. As I went into my bedroom, I nearly screamed when Buyo brushed against my leg.

"Darn it, Buyo!" I whispered angrily at him. he just walked into my room, leaped on the bed—which I still couldn't quite figure out how he could, due to his weight—and melted into my pillow, a big blob of jiggly fur.

As I got ready for bed, I noticed my computer was still on. I was leaning down to turn it off, but I caught a glimpse of a familiar screen name logged on. I decided to talk to him.

Kags91: _Koga._

Several minutes later, as if he was contemplating talking to me or not, he responded.

AlfaWlf810: What?

Kags91: _So you'll talk to me?_

AlfaWlf810: Apparently.

Kags91: _I'm sorry._

AlfaWlf810: What for?

Kags91: _You know what I'm talking about._

AlfaWlf810: Please. Don't.

Kags91: _Why not?_

AlfaWlf810: Because.

Stubborn, wasn't he?

Kags91: _Okay._

AlfaWlf810: Thank you.

Kags91: _Congrats. What college you going to?_

AlfaWlf810: Dunno. Probably the University of Tokyo.

Kags91: _That's great! Aren't you excited?_

AlfaWlf810: Not really.

Kags91: _Why?_

AlfaWlf810: Don't really want to move.

Kags91: _That's a silly reason._

AlfaWlf810: I guess so.

There was a long pause.

Kags91: _Koga?_

AlfaWlf810: Still here.

Kags91: _I really am sorry. I want you to know that. _

AlfaWlf810: I know.

Kags91: _Good. That's good that you know. I hope we can still be friends?_

AlfaWlf810: We'll have to wait and see.

Kags91: Thank you.

AlfaWlf810: Yep. Good night.

Kags91: Night. Sleep tight! 

I got up and, pushing the blob of fur I call a cat aside, crawled into my bed. One more year.

**A/N: **Sorry, short chapter but I didn't want you guys to get mad at me. I've been updating a lot for other stories but mot this one! Hopefully the next one will be longer and more eventful…

TTFN!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **This one is so difficult for me to write lately…hopefully I'm not getting a case of writer's block. May have to get a betareader for help…

**Chapter 3**

When I woke up, the blob of fur was crushing by stomach. I pushed it off and took deep breaths, re-expanding my diaphragm.

"You're too fat, Buyo," I said to the blob.

It replied with a 'mew' and walked, stretching, out of the cracked-open door. Funny, I thought I closed it…

There was a long summer ahead, and part of it included helping Inuyasha and Miroku move into the apartment they planned on sharing. Not exactly my idea of fun, since it meant helping my fiancé get even farther away from me.

I fell back asleep after reading the clock—it was only six in the morning, and I was not going to go off of four hours of sleep on my first day of summer vacation.

_**Three long months later…**_

"Kagome, come on. You've been mopey all summer. You can't possibly expect me to live around you like that all through our senior year, can you?" complained Sango.

"No, of course not, Sango," I sighed, looking down at the pavement as I walked to school on the last first-day-of-school morning I would have. As part of required education, that is.

The moving experience with Inuyasha had been a long week. Especially with Sango and Miroku bringing stuff into Miroku's room and coming out fifteen minutes later. We had been able to hear every giggle and inappropriate word said between the two, which had been a…negative. The opposite of it being a 'plus', whatever you call it.

And then Mika was upset over not being able to annoy her two cousins under the same roof, so she just sat and pouted--even when we lifted the heavy couch up the six flights of stairs, she didn't move from it. And when she did move, it was to get in our ways and express her feelings over the situation; she wasn't happy about it. She probably made helping him harder on purpose, just to annoy Inuyasha a little more before he was officially moved out of the mansion he called home.

I walked into the familiar school and thought of how lonely I would be all day, not even having lunch as a break from everyone to be with Inuyasha. I found out that we wouldn't be allowed to go off campus anymore, due to too many kids not coming back—as in skipping school. That meant I couldn't even meet him for lunch. This would be a _long_ school year.

**A/N:** Please don't be mad at me for the incredibly short chapter. I'm sick of writing out school days, and I don't plan on doing many more of them—if any. The next chapter will skip a large period of time, as well. I mean for this story to be more of a long epilogue than a huge story. I'm guesstimating this will be between 10-15 chapters long. I just have a few more things I want to cover, and the last chapter will be the wedding. TTFN.

Mika- I'm trying to incorperate the chaos, see?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Okay, I'm being a good authoress and writing this chapter even though I'd really rather not. This one just doesn't…amuse me any more.

**Chapter 4**

_**December**_

"Yes! It's finally Winter break! Kagome, aren't you excited? Inuyasha is coming to visit, right?" I realized I had to answer, and for once, I didn't really mind.

"Yes, and he's going to stay with his brother. He said Mika and her parents are coming as well, but she and her boyfriend will probably want to spend time together."

"True. They make such a cute couple! How old is she?"

"I dunno, a few years younger than us, I suppose."

We walked in relative silence on the cold snow-covered sidewalk and turned the corner onto our street. I could see the steps to my house from here. I thought about tomorrow, and how I would get to see Inuyasha again…finally.

I hadn't seen him in a couple weeks, and it felt a lot longer than that. He'd been really busy with school and he got a job to take up his spare time, though he didn't really need it.

I crossed the street and began climbing the steps, my toes numb from the cold. I didn't really mind it, though. The feel of the crunching sound the snow made beneath my feet was welcoming to me, and Christmas was only a few days away.

I turned my head and said a goodbye to Sango, and she hurried to her warm home to get out of the skin-biting wind.

"Mom! I'm home!"

"Hello, dear," she said, coming from the kitchen. "How was your day?"

"Great, actually. The winter festival is next Friday and Inuyasha is coming to stay until Sunday."

"With his older brother, right?"

"Yeah. I wonder when he and his fiancé are getting married…"

"Oh, he's engaged? He seems so young."

"He looks it, but he's not, really."

"What's his name again?"

"Sesshomaru. And his fiancé's name is Kagura. She's kind of rude to Inuyasha, but the two make a good couple."

"Are you hungry or thirsty? I can make you some hot chocolate, if you want."

"Thanks. I'm going to go take a quick bath; it's _freezing_ out there."

I made my way up the stairs and thought of how my mother reacted when I told her Inuyasha's older brother was getting married. What will she think when I tell her about _me_ getting married? I'm even younger than Sesshomaru.

I filled the tub and slowly got in, letting my skin thaw out in the warm water. I took a deep breath and let it out, feeling totally relaxed I could take a nap.

After a little while, I glanced at the clock on the wall and decided to get out. I got dressed and went back down the stairs, and I heard a wonderfully familiar voice drifting from the kitchen.

I raced to the door and slid it open, revealing the owner of the voice. "Inuyasha! What are you doing here?"

He looked up at me and grinned, which nearly made me melt into a puddle right there. He stood and began to walk towards me, arms open slightly. "What, not glad to see me?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, of course I'm, glad! I thought you were coming tomorrow, is all." I nearly fell into his arms, overwhelmed with happiness. He wrapped them around me, settling in my hair. I gripped my arms around him tightly and felt like I never wanted to let go, but I did after a too-short time because my mom was standing in the corner of the kitchen.

"So, how have you been, Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Great, now that I'm back home. Living with Miroku gets a little…hectic."

"How so?" she asked. I held back a smile, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Have you met him?"

"Once or twice in passing, but I've never had a conversation with him. Why?"

"Never mind, he's just a little…unorganized," he said, trying not to laugh. If 'unorganized' meant 'has his girlfriend over all the time and watches the scrambled channels' then it was exactly the right word. I knew it was just a little lie to keep from having to explain his lecherous behavior, but it was too funny for if you already knew what he was like.

"Oh, that's too bad. I'll let you two have some privacy. I know you haven't seen each other in a while."

She left the room and we both burst out laughing. "_Unorganized_…what a joke. The guy's like OCD about where his stuff is put away and everything."

"Oh, really? That must get annoying."

"You have no idea."

We stopped laughing finally and just looked at each other, faint smiles on each of our faces. He didn't take long to scoop me back into his arms and lower his head, catching my lips with his. My eyes slowly closed and several seconds later he lifted his head and I rested mine against his chest. I felt his chin rest on the top of my head, his steady breathing tickling the roots of my hair.

"I've missed you," he said.

"You have no idea how lonely it is this year without you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault."

"But I still feel bad about it."

"Well, you shouldn't."

"But I _do_."

"Okay, fine. Feel bad." I did not want to get into a stupid fight now.

"Thank you. What do you want to do?"

"Did Miroku come back too?"

"Yeah, he's at Sango's."

"Should we go do something with them?"

"Think we'll need the Jaws of Life to pull 'em apart?"

"Possibly."

"I'll make a call and get some, just in case."

I laughed at that. It was so easy to talk to him, even though he's never around for me to have a normal conversation with him like now.

"Mom! We're going to Sango's. Be back later."

"Okay, you kids have fun!"

"Thanks!"

We left and I saw his car as soon as we got to the top of the shrine steps, a smear of red paint on a bright white canvas.

But Sango just lived a couple blocks away, so we walked. I noticed it started snowing lightly, adding a blanket to the sheet that covered the ground

"I hate the snow," said Inuyasha.

"Why?"

"It's so cold and…wet."

"Most dogs I've seen love the snow."

"Well, I'm not most dogs, am I?"

"Very true."

We hung out with Sango and Miroku for a few hours before finally deciding to go to Inuyasha's house. We took the car so we could leave quickly, if we had to.

As soon as we walked in, Rosa was there to greet us. "You weren't supposed to be here yet!"

"Wonder how Sesshomaru will like my coming home early?"

"Not well, I assume."

"We'll just have to see."

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

We spent Christmas morning opening presents with my family and then the evening with his brother, Kagura, Mika, and Rosa. Mika left after we were done opening them to hang out with her boyfriend—the same guy she met at the carnival a while back—but not before she decided to sharpen her nails on the wrapping paper and shred it all to pieces. Once she was satisfied with the reaction she got from her cousins, she left.

Inuyasha bought me a beautiful necklace that was made of both gold and white gold. It was small and somewhat simple—not overly elaborate. The chain was the two golds twisted together to make a smooth single chain with a small charm shaped like a heart that hung just a few inches below my neck. The heart was the same gold colors and covered with small diamonds that sparkled like stars in the light. It was the best necklace I could ever ask for.

I got him some clothes and when we were in privacy, I gave him the engagement ring I'd bought for him. It was a simple gold band with our names inscribed on the inside. He said he loved it and put it on as soon as he was done looking at it.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Winter break ended too quickly and when Inuyasha left, I was stuck with just Sango at school again. Just a few more months…

**A/N:** Okay, I know I'm skipping through this rather quickly, but…well, I really don't care. I'm trying to finish this story line once and for all! For Kagome's necklace, I actually have one that looks the same that my sister got me for Xmas a few years ago. She was in the Navy for six years, and her ship docked in like...Dubai or some place like that and she bought it there for me. I love it so much! But the chain broke so I can't wear it anymore. Oh well. TTFN.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Ah, the power of being an author…author_ess_. Read on…

**Chapter 5 **

_Several months later…_

Graduation is next week, and all that's left are finals. Inuyasha never takes his engagement ring off, even though I have to around certain people. I have to tell my mom sometime…but when?

I walked out of school around noon, having finished the testing for the day. I took out my phone and called Inuyasha, hoping to spend the rest of the day with him in Tokyo.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh…hey. What's up?"

"I just got out and I was wondering if you wanna hang out?"

"Actually…I'm at home. I don't think now's a great time, though…"

"What's wrong?"

"Um…just come over. I'll explain it then."

"Alright, bye…"

He hung up the phone. I had an uneasy feeling in my gut. What on earth was wrong?

I got in my car and sped to his house, the whole time nearly making myself go into panic and hyperventilate with possibilities of what was going on.

I pulled into the driveway, racing up the steps and knocking frantically on the door. He opened it, and stepped aside for me to come in. I rushed in, shrugging off my sweater. "What's the matter? You made it seem like somebody died…"

"Not exactly. Alright, I'll tell you from the beginning. So…Kagura hired a physical trainer to get into shape a bit for the wedding and all…and Sesshomaru didn't care, in fact…he paid for it. She's been seeing him at a gym for the past month, and Sesshomaru finally found out who the guy was so he could meet him. I think he wanted to meet him based off of the way Kagura always talked about him…I'm not really sure." He paused, probably gathering his thoughts. He frowned and we walked into the living room, sitting on the couch.

"So…what is this all mean?"

"Sesshomaru suspected her of…cheating. He followed her one time last week to the gym, and when he saw then get more than…friendly he nearly ripped the guy's head off. He and Kagura were fighting for a few days before she disappeared one day last week and so did almost all the money from his wallet and a lot of his credit cards. Her car isn't in the garage anymore, either…even though she didn't pay a penny for it."

I sat there with my mouth open. I completely didn't think of the possibility of the problem being with Sesshomaru. I clicked my mouth shut before speaking. "So…now what?"

"_So_…the wedding is canceled, obviously. And Sesshomaru hasn't left his office in five days."

"And you're…concerned?"

"No, I could care less what's wrong with him. I'm mostly pissed that that stupid woman made off with so much and also because Rosa made me come. I would have just sent my condolences or whatever, but she wouldn't let me."

"You don't even care?"

"He's never done a damn thing for me; why should I?"

I couldn't argue; he had a point. The most Sesshomaru had ever done for him is not throw him out of the house, and that's because he wasn't allowed to. He treated him like dirt his whole life, and so it was only natural that Inuyasha not care what misfortunes befall him.

"Do you still want to do something?" Inuyasha asked.

"Um…sure if you want to."

"Let's go out for lunch. I'll drive."

I didn't object because I knew driving fast helped him settle down and become normal again. We ate at a sushi restaurant and went to a movie with Mika. She talked a lot during it, but I didn't mind because it wasn't even that good of a movie. In fact, I talked with her. Inuyasha got rather annoyed and said something about Mika turning me into her. I just laughed and told him to calm down, to which he said, "Keh."

**A/N:** Gosh, I'm really annoyed. I can't seem to write good long chapters lately, and it's really getting on my nerves. You may ask 'why make that happen with Sesshy?' But I did it upon request, and I will later make him get over it, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Please review! TTFN.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry for the super long wait, but I've been somewhat busy. I _WISH_ I was busy doing something tonight, but NOOOOO! My mom doesn't want to take me to the Barnes and Noble _Breaking Dawn_ party/book release_, even though_ I told her about it WEEKS in advance. I even reread the books and everything, and I have to wait even longer to read the fourth and final Twilight book! Most people will be done with it by the time I get it! So unfair! (End of rant…for now)

I just got done reading the book _Stargirl_, and I gotta say it was a much sadder ending than I had been expecting. It was still a great book though, and I recommend it for anyone who needs something to read.

**Chapter 6**

_Graduation Day (II)_

I took a deep breath and turned to look in the mirror, looking at myself from every angle I could manage as I examined the white cap and gown I wore. I could feel my heart racing, I was so nervous. I had to tell my mom about my engagement today or tomorrow. Inuyasha threatened me with that and said if I didn't, he would. It really isn't fair, this manipulative power he has.

I glanced at the clock. I had to be at school in twenty minutes, and then the ceremony would start in another hour. I sighed, unzipping the gown and removing the cap. I patted my hair back down, making sure it wasn't too mussed from the cap. I folded the gown over my arm and smoothed the front of my skirt, brushing off a piece of lint.

"Kagome!" called Souta.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed that he chose to yell through the door. If that's how it would be, then I would make him keep yelling.

"Mom wants you downstairs for pictures! Sango's here!"

I sighed again, grabbing my purse and opening the door. I saw his bedroom door close the last few inches and then his annoyingly loud music start playing again. I walked down the stairs slowly, not looking forward at all to the hundreds of camera flashes that would be forced on me today.

AS I turned the corner to the living room, I was suddenly grabbed by the waist from behind. The warm pair of hands wrapped around me and pulled me back, making me lean against the broad chest the arms belonged to. He leaned his head down and whispered in my ear, "The big day is here." I shivered involuntarily as his hot breath made my hair tickle my neck.

Then I thought of his words. I got the feeling there was a double meaning to them, and I scowled. Inuyasha kissed my neck before releasing me. I turned to face him, suddenly remembering that he wasn't supposed to be here yet. He held a hand over my mouth so he could explain himself. "I wanted to wish you luck ahead of time…and I love surprising you." He grinned. I rolled my eyes.

I turned away and went into the living room. Sango hugged me and then we posed fro several pictures, the flashes making me blink stupidly every time. Oh, this would be a _long_ day.

When we finally got to the school, we had to practice the entire graduation ceremony and then line up for when we walked out to take our seat while the band played. It wouldn't be a big deal, but we had to be in alphabetical order. And the senior class was rather large.

I sighed many times in that single hour. Sango said I must have something wrong with me because I wasn't as excited as she was. I told her that nobody could ever get as excited as she was. She responded by pushing my shoulder slightly and continuing on with her never-ending chatter.

I finally felt a somewhat rational feeling in my stomach when the band began playing and the line moved. I took my seat after the long walk to the folding seats in the soccer field. The bleachers were set up and I glanced up occasionally, looking for my family and Inuyasha. The valedictorian gave his speech, but it was mostly background noise that no one listened to.

I finally found them, and they waved to me. Inuyasha winked at me, and I illogically blushed. I wasn't sure why, but lately he seemed to make me blush a lot. I hardly ever blushed when he did little things like that, not since we first dated.

I saw the people around me begin to stand, and I stood too, listening for my name.

"Kagome Higurashi…." called the principal. I walked up the stairs, and shook his hand, turning to take my diploma. I was acutely aware of the cheering and whistling coming from my family and friends. I felt my cheeks warm a little, and then waved to them, smiling. I blinked when a camera—wielded by my mom—flashed and then flashed twice more. I was finally back to my seat and in a state of disbelief.

I was done with high school. I was starting college this year. I was getting married this year. I had to tell my mother I was getting married this year…

I looked up from the scroll in my hands just in time to put a hand up for the blow up volley ball coming straight at me. The students laughed s they hit it, others laughing at the teachers that attempted to remove it from the crowd. One even tried to dive for it, but he just stumbled and almost fell down in the grass. Several students snickered and he looked at them disapprovingly.

The ceremony lasted about an hour, and then the field swarmed with students and parents. The English language narrowed down to a single word among the crowd: _Congratulations._ I was tapped on the shoulder and I spun around, smiling in relief when it was Inuyasha was smiling down at me. I hugged him tightly before hugging my mother, and then mussing Souta's hair.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi were suddenly at me sides, squeezing me into a group hug and I was almost positive a few pictures were snapped of me without my consent. I turned my head slightly to see a camera in front of Inuyasha's face, and him smirking as he pushed the button and made me blink from another flash.

I hate cameras. Who was the genius that decided to make the flash so annoyingly bright? All it gives you is people who blinked and the need for yet another picture to be taken.

When we finally escaped the tightly packed mob, we headed back to our cars. I had had more than my fill of pictures today, and I made it very clear that I would annihilate any camera that flashed in my face again.

We headed into the house, and sat around the kitchen table as my mother made tea. I was surprised with cake and presents, and it felt like a second birthday. I ate a small sliver of cake, not wanting to add to the obnoxious fluttering that already resided in my stomach. I was going to tell her today. Tonight. Within the next hour. My mother would know that her daughter was engaged. To be married.

I gulped down the last bite of cake, and cleared my thought. I looked meaningfully at Inuyasha, whose eyes widened when he realized what was about to happen.

"Mom…I have an announcement to make…" I began.

"What is it, dear?" She smiled at me, and I began to loose my courage. I glanced at Inuyasha, but he just nodded slightly in encouragement.

"Um…well, the thing is…" I paused.

"Go on," my mother encouraged.

I took a deep breath. The ring in my pocket suddenly felt heavy, and I glanced at Inuyasha's left hand. His ring was still in place, though he held his hand in his lap, rather than in plain sight. He reached over and took my hand, squeezing it. I squeezed back once and let the breath out as I said the words. "Inuyasha proposed to me and I said yes and now we're engaged to be married and I have the ring and he has his and we thought that today would be a good day to tell you." I took in an unsteady breath after not taking any during my entire sentence. I looked at my mother.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth open slightly. She had frozen in place with a cup of tea in her hand. I was afraid she might drop it, but not as afraid as I was of her reaction. She finally blinked after what seemed like the longest moment ever, and her hand flew out to grip the edge of the counter, as if she couldn't stand very well. "You…you're…engaged?" she asked weakly.

All I could do was nod. I watched her worriedly, and I felt Inuyasha getting tense as the silence stretched on. I watched several emotio0ns flicker across my mother's face as she processed the information, and then I nearly jumped out of my skin when she let out a cry. I at first thought she was upset, but she was…smiling…?

She rushed around the table and began hugging me and talking, but I didn't really understand. "Oh I'm so happy for you!" I heard her say, and the rest I couldn't fully process.

What just happened?

**A/N: **(Whiny voice) _Breaking Dawn_ comes out in an _hour_ and I'm still here at home on my computer and I'm so upset! My final attempt at getting my mom to take me has just failed, and now I have to wait until _10am_ to even get it!! (Barnes and Noble doesn't open until then. I almost want to cry. Almost.)

I'm so frustrated! Hmph! Ttfn. (I'm not even gonna capitalize it, I'm that upset!)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Yay! I've got new story ideas! Woo! So excited! Must finish a couple first though. Right. Read on.

**Chapter 7**

I finally regained the ability to talk. "You're not…upset?"

My mother finally paused from her excitement. "Upset?" she repeated, as if the word were foreign to her. "Why on earth would I be upset?"

"Well, we're so young, and…" Now that I thought about it, all my nervousness seemed ridiculous.

"Your father and I were practically the same ages as you two when we got married." Nobody seemed to notice how I flinched at the mentioning of my father, or if they did, they said nothing. Then Inuyasha squeezed my hand again and I gripped his more tightly.

"I told you," he said to me. I made a face at him.

"So, when's the big day?" my mother asked. I stared at her in horror.

"What?" I finally said.

"When is the wedding?"

"I don't know; we haven't had much time to plan it…" I trailed off. Although, I realized I'd had a whole year and all I'd accomplished was overreacting about telling my mother.

"Well, we'd better get to it," she said. "If you want to get married this summer." The look of horror was on my face again.

"This summer?" I repeated.

"Yes, summer weddings are so beautiful," she said. "And you can have it outdoors."

I finally looked at Inuyasha. He seemed to be in a bit of shock all of a sudden. Maybe all this talk of actually getting married was making him nervous, though he'd been perfectly at ease the whole engagement. "What do you think?" I asked him. "Inuyasha?"

He blinked. "I, ah…yes."

I looked at him funny. "What? That doesn't make any sense."

"We don't need to concern him with all the planning," my mother cut in. "He just needs to show up in a tux." She smiled.

I smiled back. "Sota, why don't you go show Inuyasha your new baseball cards?"

He perked up. "Sure! C'mon, Inuyasha!"

He dragged Inuyasha to standing position and out of the rooms. Before the kitchen door closed, Inuyasha glanced at me and I was confused by the look of disorientation in his eyes. It was like he couldn't concentrate on anything that was happening, not even the little boy dragging him by the arm.

My mother launched into talk about flowers and gowns and invitations. Before I knew it, she was asking me the most important people to include on the guest list. I mumbled out a few people.

I was stuck on trying to figure out what was going on in Inuyasha's mind right now. He wasn't—he couldn't be…is he changing his mind? Would he…? I interrupted my mother in the middle of the discussion about types of flowers and theme colors to excuse myself.

I wandered up the stairs and knocked on Sota's door. It wasn't shut all the way so it creaked open farther and the two were sitting on the floor, cards spread around them with little room to step. I noticed that Inuyasha had returned to his usual self, and the two glanced up when the door creaked slightly. He half-smiled at me.

"Inuyasha, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sota. Sota nodded, as if to give Inuyasha permission to leave. Inuyasha stood and walked towards me, careful not to step on any cards.

I led him to my room and shut the door, making him sit on the bed. "What's up?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question," I replied.

He tilted his head at me. It was as if he didn't remember a thing about the last hour. "What?"

"You were completely out of it after my mom asked when we were getting married," I told him.

"Was I?" he asked. Now I was annoyed.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, making him jump slightly in astonishment. "You looked like you could barely remember how to breathe!"

He blinked. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. I could feel my face go blank in surprise.

"You're…sorry?"

"I know how I was like," he said. "I was just hoping _you_ didn't notice…"

"How could I not notice?" I asked him. "You seemed like you were…" I didn't finish my sentence. He grabbed my hands and pulled me down next to him.

"What? What did I seem like?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Like…" I choked out. "Like you didn't want to marry me anymore." My eyes were suddenly burning with tears, threatening to spill over at any moment.

He hugged me to his chest. "Don't be stupid," he said. "Of course I still want to marry you. I was just…surprised when your mother said this summer."

I looked up at him, brows furrowed. "Isn't that what we've been planning for?"

"Yeah," he said. "I never said I understood why I was surprised, I just was."

I smiled at him, glad that he was over his little episode. He leaned down and kissed me, light and sweet. He stood, pulling me with him, and went back to Sota's room, turning to me before he went in.

"Go talk with your mother—you need to have a say in _something_ about what gets planned." We grinned at each other, knowing full well that my mother would plan the entire thing on her own if she had to.

I went back downstairs and was able to actually concentrate and make decisions with my mother. So far we had written out the beginnings of the guest list—there was already over fifty people, and it was only on my side—and decided what flowers would be used. Red roses and lilies.

Though it was one small decision, I suddenly felt so great about it. Whenever I saw roses or lilies, I would have a reminder of my wedding. And, to my surprise, I was incredibly—overwhelmingly—excited about getting married. Or maybe it was about getting married to Inuyasha. Definitely about getting married to Inuyasha.

--

When we told Mika about the wedding the next day, she was so excited. Especially since I wanted her to be a bride's maid.

She had made us go out to dinner—she couldn't drive, so she had to jump up and point whenever she wanted to turn—and then she made Inuyasha pay for it. Luckily, he didn't mind _too_ much. But he did mind.

After we were finished we went to tell Sango and Miroku that it was extremely official now—they'd already known that we were engaged. Sango was to be my maid-of-honor. Miroku was the best man. It all worked out perfectly.

And then Inuyasha had to tell Sesshomaru. He wouldn't mind us getting married, but I'd made Inuyasha promise to invite him to the wedding and have him be part of the ceremony. Now that might be a bit of a problem. I felt sure that he wouldn't refuse though. He couldn't. And if he refused to Inuyasha, he'd have to try and do it again to me. This was one thing I would not be afraid of yelling at Sesshomaru about.

We walked into his house after having a fight about the whole thing, and Mika was lounging on the couch watching TV. She had her legs thrown lazily over the back of the couch, a position that didn't look comfortable but it apparently was to her.

"Hey, Mika," I greeted her.

She didn't look away from the screen. She lifted a hand in a half-wave. "Hey," she said in a monotone voice. She was clearly into the show she was watching.

I gave Inuyasha a hard look and then looked at the top of the stairs, in the spot where I knew Sesshomaru would be—his office. Inuyasha scowled but he didn't argue anymore, which was good, because he wouldn't have won.

I watched him walk tensely towards the stairs, and then I went and plopped down on the couch next to Mika.

I was listening for any signs of Inuyasha yelling. Sesshomaru wouldn't yell. He only yelled at Mika. I couldn't concentrate on the flashing screen, so I went and paced at the bottom of the stairs. Eventually, Mika clicked off the television and mimicked my actions, watching me curiously.

After a couple minutes of waiting for me to explain, she got impatient. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Inuyasha's telling Sesshomaru about the wedding."

She looked at me funny. "And you're nervous about _that_?"

"I'm making him ask Sesshomaru to be part of the ceremony." I turned to walk the length of the room again.

"Ah. I get it," said Mika, still following. "And you think Fluffy won't do it?"

"_I_ think he will, but Inuyasha doesn't. I'm listening for…for something. I dunno what."

Mika stopped and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Stop pacing! It's getting on my nerves."

I bit my lip and glanced up the stairs for the hundreth time. Mika huffed. "It'll be fine."

"I know. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal about it."

"Because of Inuyasha. He's rubbing off on you," Mika stated.

"What do you mean?" I asked, baffled.

"He always makes a big deal of things. And now you are too. I gotta say," she added, as an afterthought, "that's gonna get _real_ annoying."

I smiled sheepishly down at her. She smirked and I suddenly knew everything would be fine. I could feel it in my gut. Or maybe that was just the nerves again…

Suddenly, Inuyasha was shuffling down the stairs, his scowl still hinged into place.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly, but he said nothing. Mika got to it before me. "Well?" she said.

"He'll do it." Relief flooded over me, but the tone of his voice caught my attention.

"Then why are you acting so…" I searched for the right word.

"Like somebody died," Mika finished for me.

"Because," said Inuyasha, annoyance suddenly coloring his voice. Painfully so. "I had to talk to him, and he always talks down to people—especially me—like he's all high-and-mighty. It's pretty goddamn annoying."

"Right," said Mika. "I always forget how you two don't like each other very much."

"No," said Inuyasha. "I don't _like_ when we're out of Ramen very much. I hate Sesshomaru."

"Alright, sheesh," said Mika. "You're always so melodramatic."

I let out a giggle and Inuyasha glared at Mika. Then he looked accusingly at me. I tried to stifle my laughs. "Can we go now?" he asked me.

"Go where?"

"I dunno…anywhere. I just don't want to be in the same house as _him_ anymore."

"Fine, ya big baby, we can go somewhere. Wanna come?" I asked Mika, ignoring Inuyasha's protests over calling him a baby.

"Sure. Let's go to the park," she said. "No, the movies!"

"Okay."

Inuyasha moaned. "You guys are just gonna talk through the whole damn thing again," he accused.

"So?" said Mika. "Deal with it. Or you can just stay here…"

"Fine. Let's go." He walked out of the room while Mika and I followed just slowly enough to annoy him a bit more. He stopped a few feet before the garage door and grabbed my hand, dragging me—and Mika, whose arm was linked with mine—at his own pace.

When we got to the movie theater, most of the movies sounded bad, so Mika and I picked one that we could make fun of. Inuyasha was right; we talked through the entire two-and-a-half hours of the foreign film. We pointed out every little thing that was totally fake looking and laughed whenever the characters said something that sounded strange in their language. Inuyasha sat with his arms crossed, glaring at the screen.

Finally, when he'd calmed down a bit, he reached out and grabbed my hand—he was to my left, so it was the hand that I wore my ring on—and began playing with my fingers. I let him, knowing he just liked the way the ring—his ring to me—sparkled in the dim lighting.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** This is the only chapter (I promise!) that I won't keep up with the usual narration (Kagome). You'll see why in a matter of seconds…

**Chapter 8**

Short and Sweet was a strangely comforting shop to be in. Maybe it was because of the kind young girl who always smiled at you from behind the counter. Or maybe it was because you were surrounded by every kind of candy you could think of. Sesshomaru didn't know or care which, as long as he could go there without being questioned.

He grabbed another package of peanut butter cookies and walked up to the glass counter that was filled with all sorts of fudge. The girl already knew his usual order, and thus had the pound of maple pecan already cut, wrapped, and boxed.

She slid across the counter towards him and he reluctantly grabbed it, wishing there were no reason to want it in the first place. But, unfortunately, he was fool enough to get engaged to a slut whom he should never have trusted to remain faithful. _It happens to lots of people_, he told himself again. At least he figured it out before they were married.

"Is that all for today, sir?" she asked him, the smile clear in her voice. What really annoyed him is that she somehow made the cheerfulness sound like she meant it.

He inclined his head in a nod. He had barely ever said more than two words to her. When he met her gaze, she smiled at him. Now that he actually looked at her for a change, she was quite beautiful. Not the conventional way, but in a sweet, soft way. She had deep brown eyes and long dark hair that reached past her waist.

"Your total is fourteen dollars and seventy two cents."

He slid a bill across the counter. As she reached to open the cash register, he said, "Keep the change."

She looked at him with wide eyes before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Would I have said it if I had not meant it?"

She looked down and slid the bill into place, then put his items in a plastic bag and handed it to him. "Thank you, have a good day!" she said with another cheerful smile.

As he turned towards the door, he saw a woman in the wide window of the store across the street step onto a platform with a wedding dress on. He remembered his idiot half-brother telling him about his engagement, and cringed when he realized he would be there alone. Unless he found a suitable woman to take in the next two weeks, he would be forced to bear the ridicule of Inuyasha about the situation.

He walked out of the shop and a couple narrowly dodged him, not wanting to disturb his path. He smirked at the way the stupid humans feared him.

As he reached the corner of the street, he stopped. Not because of a cross-walk sign, but because of a thought. _The human of Short and Sweet seemed worthy enough, right? _He was suddenly disgusted with himself for considering the idea of escorting a human. But then, it wasn't such a bad thought in the long run.

He stood for several minutes, ignoring or returning the glares of those who were forced to walk around him.

He finally decided. He continued forward and down the street to his parked car. He got in, set the bag on the passenger's seat, and began driving around the block. His car barely fit into the space he chose to park, but he didn't care.

He got out and walked up to the sunny yellow door with a sign hanging in one of the windows indicating it was open. The broad windows to his left and right displayed all sorts of things, none of which he was interested in.

When the bell rang as he opened the door, the girl behind the counter looked up. Her face went blank in surprise, and then she said, "Back already?"

"I'm not here to make a purchase," he told her in his usual expressionless voice. "I have a question for you."

"Oh. Of course," she replied.

He glanced at her nametag, not having done so before. Rin was her name. "Rin, have you ever been to a wedding?"

She was clearly shocked by his question, or possibly by the use of her name. "No, actually. Why do you ask?"

Sesshomaru suppressed a sigh. "My brother is getting married in a couple weeks."

"Oh, well…that's good for him. I hope he's happy with the girl he's chosen," she said thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't know; I try to avoid him," he said.

She tilted her head. "Why? If he's your brother…"

"Half-brother," he corrected.

"Oh," she said, not knowing what to say. She couldn't see how that explained everything, but he didn't seem the talkative type. "Well, for what it's worth, I've always _wanted_ to go to a wedding."

"Now you can. Accompany me to my brother's," he said. He meant to ask it like a question, but it came out…differently.

"Oh, um…" she said, blushing, "Okay. I'd love to."

"I'll see to it that you receive an invitation," he said. She seemed so shocked at his sudden friendliness. She wasn't surprised by how formally he spoke, though. He dressed in an expensive suit every time he was there.

She wrote her address on a piece of paper and he took it, nodding his head to her as he left. She smiled radiantly back at him. The rest of the day he couldn't get her bright, happy face out of his mind, not after that beautiful smile she gave him.

--

Rin closed her shop and locked the door with a solid _click_. She walked up the stairs that were in the back, slightly hidden by a curtain of beads. She couldn't stop smiling. A smart, handsome man asked her to the first wedding she would ever go to, and she was extremely excited.

As she entered her apartment she decided she was too energized to sleep yet. She cleaned all the rooms until they all but sparkled and watched a long movie. She fell asleep during the first ten minutes of it.

Around eight o'clock in the morning, she was woken by the sound of the doorbell from downstairs. She raked a hand through her messy hair and stretched her now-aching muscles before rushing to the front door.

A man wearing a khaki colored uniform stood behind the door, a square white box with a broad red ribbon in his hands. She opened the door, curious. "Yes?"

"Are you Miss Rin Shinsei?" the man asked.

"Yes, that's me," she replied.

"This package is for you." He held the white box out to her. She took it. "It's from Mr. Taisho."

"Taisho?" she asked, puzzled.

"Sesshomaru Taisho?" said the man. "You spoke with him yesterday, right?"

"Oh, right," she said. Why on earth would he send her something? "Thank you."

She flashed a smile at him and he returned it, then turned and got into his delivery truck. Rin closed the door and turned to set the box on the counter. She stared at it for a moment, thinking it was too beautifully wrapped to touch.

Then curiosity got the better of her, and she ripped the top off, pushing aside the red tissue paper that was revealed. She froze as soon as her fingers brushed the material. It was silk.

She pulled it out and the material unfolded into a beautiful dress. One that could be worn to a wedding. It was just past the knees on her, with a scoop neckline and off-the-shoulder capped sleeves. There were kaleidoscopic designs on it, in orange-red, green, wine red, yellow-orange, cream, and acorn-brown. At the waist was a wine-red colored tie, to go around the waist. At the waist, below the tie, the dress pleated outward in a flowy, elegant way.

It wasn't too dressy, which indicated that the wedding was probably going to be somewhat casual. Rin hugged the dress to her and twirled around and around her store, smiling. She loved the dress—it looked almost like it was made just for her.

Though Sesshomaru had made it seem like he just wanted a date for a wedding, she had a feeling in her gut that he would turn out to be a really great guy to be with—which would be nice, for a change.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** **IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ.** If anyone wants to see what I used as Rin's dress in the last chapter, there is a link available at the top of my profile page. (I don't how important that was, but I didn't want anyone to miss the chance.) When I choose Kagome's dress, I'll let you guys know when the link is available as well!

**Chapter 9**

I sighed heavily when I got into my car. My attempt at shopping for a wedding dress had failed…miserably. I'd been out for hours and hours on end, and still hadn't found the perfect one. What I needed now was a nap.

I stopped at WacDonald's and got a burger to eat on the way home. It wasn't that great, considering it was fast food, but I hadn't eaten all day and was in no mood to deal with a waiter.

As I got on the highway, I decided to call Inuyasha. I hadn't even talked to him the whole day, and I needed someone to make me feel better. Sango would just nag at me for not finding a dress. Same with my mother.

"Hello?" he answered after two rings.

"Hey," I said.

"Oh, hey," he replied. "Uh…what's up?"

"Nothing…I'm just upset right now."

"Why?" he asked, his voice suddenly full of concern. I smiled a little.

"I couldn't find a single dress I liked," I told him. "And I went to like, ten different stores."

"Oh," he said, his voice slightly relieved. "Where are you going now?"

"Home, I guess. Unless you want me to come over…"

"No," he said quickly. "I mean…I'm at your house. Come here."

Kagome could hear a voice whispering rapidly to Inuyasha. "Who's that?"

"Uh…Sota," he said tentatively. That was weird—it had sounded like a girl's voice. "He wants me to come help him with something. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure…," I said suspiciously. Was Mika there? It had sounded like her voice, now that I thought about it. But why would he lie? "Bye. I love you."

"Love you, too," he said, and hung up. I listened to the dial tone for several seconds before putting down my phone.

I went through it in my mind over and over as I drove home, trying to put it together. What was he doing? Why is he at my house? Was he actually helping my mother plan the wedding? That thought seemed a little ridiculous. I laughed at it.

As I pulled up to the curb behind his car, I gathered my things and checked my face in the mirror. I looked upset still. I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair.

As I went up the stairs, I glanced back down towards the street and thought I saw a car a lot like Miroku's. I couldn't see the license plate, though, so I couldn't be sure.

I went up to the front door, but was immediately suspicious—I couldn't see any lights on. It wasn't that bright outside, especially since it was evening (along with an overall cloudy day).

I slowly opened the door to reveal the dark entry. "Hello?" I called warily. "Anyone home?"

I walked through the kitchen and into the hall after setting my stuff down, turning lights on as I went. As I walked through the hallway, I turned to the living room entrance. I flipped the light switch.

"Surprise!" rang a dozen voices. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"What's all this?" I finally asked, clutching my chest to try to calm my racing heart and glancing around. I saw Sango in the middle of the crowd. I narrowed my eyes at her. She smiled. "What is this, Sango?"

Sango stepped forward. "Aren't you surprised?" she asked instead of answering my questions.

"Yes, now why was it necessary to scare the living hell out of me?" I was rather aggravated now.

"It's a surprise wedding shower!" she told me, like it was _so_ obvious. "Don't you like it?"

"Why are you throwing me a shower? I told you I didn't want one."

"You hate it," she said. Her voice was disappointed. I looked around and noticed the people, and then all the decorations that were hung and placed around the room.

"Wow…," I murmured. "Sango, it's beautiful."

Her face brightened. "Really? You like it?"

"Yes," I assured her. I glanced again at the people still watching me. "Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming."

Some of them smiled at me. I then noticed the only males in the room—Miroku and Inuyasha.

"Why are you two here?" I asked them. "Wedding showers are usually just girls, right?"

Miroku glanced nervously at Sango. She raised an eyebrow in warning. I looked to Inuyasha. He hesitated, but wasn't intimidated by Sango's eyes boring into him like daggers. "She threatened me to stay so I couldn't tell you."

"And Miroku too?"

Miroku opened his mouth, but with a final glance at Sango seemed to change his answer. "Of course not!" he said with a forced smile. "I wanted to be here for her."

"Uh-huh. Sure." I turned to Sango. "They can leave if they like, right?"

"It's your shower," she said casually, shrugging, as if threatening them into staying had been merely politely requesting.

"You guys can go hang out somewhere else, if you like. I won't force you to stay," I said to them. They looked relieved.

But then I got an idea. I wondered how much influence I could have over Inuyasha. "But…"

They focused on me again and probably tried to measure my new expression—I hoped it looked sad. "No, never mind. Go have fun."

I looked at Sango out of the corner of my eye. She was grinning. I looked tentatively at the boys, and they looked torn. "Kagome, I can stay…," said Inuyasha slowly. He hated when he disappointed me. I quite liked this newly discovered power.

I fought back a grin of my own. "No, no. Go have fun. See a movie. You hate going with me and Mika."

I heard her snicker. I flashed a smile at her.

"Kagome…," Inuyasha said, the tone in his voice slightly defeated. "You're sure?"

"Well…" I looked between him and Miroku. "If you could stay, just for a little while…"

"Okay," he said quickly. I fought back another smile as Miroku shot an incredulous look at him. "If it makes you happy, we'll stay for as long as you like."

Miroku elbowed Inuyasha in the side. Inuyasha looked at him, annoyed. "What?"

"Okay, then it's settled," Sango rang happily, before Miroku could answer him. She walked over and took Miroku's arm, dragging him to her spot on the couch, pulling his miserable form down next to her. He soon recovered when he noticed to incredibly close proximity between him and Sango…

_SMACK!_

"Can't you resist for a damn hour?" Sango yelled at him, pushing him away. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders.

"So, Sango," I began. "What do you have planned?"

As I waited for an answer, I was surprised by a pair of warm arms wrapping around me. I smiled up at Inuyasha. He rested his chin where my neck curved into my shoulder.

A few of the girls went "Awww," but I ignored them.

"Yes?" I asked in a quiet, sweet tone. I was going for innocent, but I soon realized I sounded slightly guilty.

"You're going to pay for this later," he whispered into my ear, quiet enough that no one else heard. I bit my lip and half-smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Let's open presents," Sango suggested brightly, recovered from her previously angry mood directed at a certain groping someone. "Come over here, Kagome."

Sango pushed Miroku further away, and motioned for me to go sit by her. When I dragged Inuyasha with me, Miroku—smartly—stood up, making room. I sat between Sango and Inuyasha, who had casually put an arm over the back of the couch and only watched me.

I was handed a square-shaped present, wrapped beautifully in shiny, swirled light pink paper with faint outlines of flowers. A gauzy white bow was wrapped around it.

I tentatively pulled at the small tag that said it was from Ayumi. I smiled quickly at her before lightly pulling the bow, not wanting to ruin it by savagely ripping it open, like I would have liked.

I gently pulled the paper off and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, knowing I was never this careful when it came to present-opening. He'd seen me at Christmas, after all. I smiled lightly at him.

When I peeked in through the top part of the box, I felt my face pale. I could see a silky, filmy pile of black and red fabric, and several bows. Inuyasha leaned slightly to see, but I quickly pushed the top of the box down, to prevent him from seeing.

He watched me curiously. "What is it?"

"Um…" Maybe trying out my little power hadn't been the greatest idea. "You know what? You guys should go out and do something." I glanced nervously at Inuyasha, who was still baffled by my mood change. "You won't have any fun here, with all us girls."

I had a feeling Miroku would have liked to object to that particular statement, but I glared at him quickly and he made his way over to Sango, to say goodbye. I turned to Inuyasha, who didn't look at all inclined to leave.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door," I said quietly to him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I stood and pulled his hand lightly. He followed.

"Why the sudden change?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well…" I hesitated. "You guys really won't have any fun. I'm pretty sure Sango intended this to be a girls-only thing."

"Alright," he said. I sighed in relief. He could be very stubborn if he wanted to be, but today…he didn't want to be. "We'll go to the movies or something."

"Yeah. Have fun," I said.

"I would say it would be more fun if you were there, but that's not entirely true." He shook his head. "I really shouldn't have ever let you and Mika in the same room together. She's given you her most annoying habits."

I smiled. "Sorry."

He half-smiled and then bent down to kiss me goodbye. I stood higher on my tip-toes to meet him halfway. When I heard someone clear his throat—damn Miroku—I pulled away from Inuyasha.

He shot a quick glare at Miroku before grasping my hand for a moment then turning towards the door. I nodded to Miroku as he followed.

Once they were out of sight, I closed the door and leaned against it, sighing. I really should have known _lingerie_ would be part of the whole bridal shower thing. I closed my eyes and shook my head lightly before returning to the living room.

"Gee, thanks for the warning, guys," I said to them, letting out an exaggerated breath. They laughed and I smiled. "So, back to my _presents_…"

--

By the time I was done opening my gifts—which, after three times of slowly unwrapping, I just went to my usual tactics and tore them open—I had gotten plenty of lingerie to choose from…if I could get up the courage to wear it, that is. I was mentally cringing at trying them on by myself, let alone letting _Inuyasha_—or anybody—catch even a glimpse of what they looked like. There was also several jars of edible body chocolate that I would rather not think about as well.

"Well, that was interesting… What next?" I asked Sango.

"Games?"

"Okay…"

--

I decided I didn't like bridal shower games. They were very weird and, a lot of times, more embarrassing—only for me, of course—than they were fun. On one they'd had someone write down everything I said while opening and inspecting my gifts, and then they did a mad-lib with the list of what my honeymoon lines would be. I had put my hands over my face the entire time they read it, not quite ready to think about _that_.

When some of the girls started leaving, I helped Sango clean some stuff up. I had complimented her highly on the equality of the food she'd had made for it, which had made her extremely happy.

As soon as everyone left, I took out my phone to call Inuyasha. But, as I was about to dial, I thought about it. He would want to know about the presents. I wasn't quite ready to talk about that with anyone, especially him.

I sighed and set my phone on the counter. This would be a long couple weeks to avoid talking about something with Inuyasha. He was a rather curious person, and it was hard to with-hold information that he wanted know from him for very long.

As I thought about how I would be able to change the subject when he ever brought it up, it hit me. I was getting married in only two weeks. My stomach filled with nervous butterflies. My head felt light.

Holy crap. That was about all I could think: holy crap. And then a new thought floated into my head.

I still don't have a damn wedding dress…

**A/N:** Wow this chapter seriously did not want to get finished. Sorry about that.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **(looks around feeling SUPER guilty) Sorry! Totally drained from school all the time. And (grumble) I had stupid writer's block…

**Chapter 10**

"Kagome! Come on out so we can see," called my mother.

I groaned to myself. "Come help me button it first," I called back. I heard a sigh and then Sango appeared through the curtain.

She was shaking her head slightly, probably to herself. "Honestly, I don't know how you managed to do this by yourself before," she muttered.

"Just button it already," I snapped, not entirely thinking about the dress when I said "button it."

"There. Now come out here so we can see it in the light."

I glanced once more at myself in the large floor-length mirror before following Sango out of the dressing room. I scowled at the platform I was expected to stand on but said nothing as I stepped up.

"Oh, Kagome," sighed Mom. "You look absolutely stunning in that one. What do you think, Sango?"

I didn't miss how she didn't ask my own opinion first, but that should be no surprise. I generally was negative about my wedding dress opinions.

"I love it," decided Sango after circling me slowly, like I was a statue in a museum or something. She warily glanced to my face, wondering what I thought.

I appraised myself in the massive mirrors in front of me. I titled my head in contemplation, trying to picture myself getting married in it—not that picturing myself getting married, period, was at all easy.

As I turned and examined every angle, I realized I actually liked it. It just seemed…_right_. I smiled without realizing it, until Sango said, "Really? You like it?"

All I could do was nod as I stared in awe at the dress. It felt unreal, and when I looked in the mirror, I didn't count myself when I looked at the dress. I just looked at the layers of cascading white that surrounded me.

The dress was a soft, pure white, of course. Traditional, in that aspect. It was strapless, fitting close to my upper body down to my hips. It was slightly bunched in spots on the poofy silk that smoothly spread out from my hips, circling me, held with beading that matched the intricate bodice. It fit perfectly, and that made me even happier because it meant no time standing through adjustments would be wasted.

"This is the one," I whispered to myself. "I want _this_ one."

I looked at my mother and she absolutely glowed with happiness. Sango was smiling at me as I stepped down from the platform, and I slowly went to the dressing room, letting the feeling of the silk brushing against my legs last as long as I could make it.

I reluctantly took it off, putting my plain tank top and jeans back on. When I came out the saleswoman went in and got the dress, putting it back into the clear plastic case. She came out, a smile on her face, and led us to the check-out counter.

"So who's the lucky lady getting married?" she asked.

I smiled shyly. "Me."

"Aw," she said, tilting her head. "Best wishes. To both of you."

"Thank you," I said, and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. I didn't like attention that much and being the bride kind of made hiding in the corner not an option. Well, blushing bride as they say.

We paid and decided going out to lunch would be a nice reward for finding a dress. I didn't really give damn if it was a fancy restaurant or fast food place. I just wanted to sit down. But, of course, we were going to go to a nicer place. So now I'd have to deal with waiters and a snooty maître d'.

"Can we go home after this?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course not," said my mother, sounding shocked. "We have to find your bridesmaid dresses yet."

I barely restrained a groan. "But we can do that tomorrow, can't we?"

"Nope." She paused to take a sip of her raspberry lemonade. "We have a meeting with the florist tomorrow. We won't have time to go out looking for dresses."

I said nothing, because I wasn't in the mood to get yelled at again like I was a five-year-old for not taking "responsibility for my own wedding," as she'd put it the other day. So I just sucked my soda through the straw and chewed on the end of the plastic straw, glaring at the napkins in the center of the table.

We ordered, ate and left, and I tried to put myself in a positive mood as we approached the next store. We walked in and any chances at a good mood vanished as a rude-toned saleswoman came up to us, her hair looking cemented into its place in the blonde pile of curls on her head. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy eye make up. She clearly thought of herself as superior; I could tell by the way she spoke and regarded us.

"Hello," she said. "Can I help you?"

I opened my mouth but Sango had been watching me as I assessed this woman and elbowed me in the stomach. The air was temporarily knocked out of me—long enough for my mother to respond first.

"We're looking for bridesmaid dresses," she said, and I cheered inside at the slight edge to her voice. It showed that she hated this woman already too. "For my daughter's wedding."

"Right this way," the woman said, her words almost ringing with such thick audacity. She began to walk towards racks of colorful dresses, much different from the other side of the store that was mostly hung with white, cream, and other pastel shades of wedding dresses.

Well, at least I wasn't the one trying them on this time. But Sango would be all too happy to try on lots of pretty dresses, compared to my martyred view on the idea.

She first tried on simple A-line ones, in various shades of red. We decided against A-line.

It seemed rather unfair that Sango should find the right dress after trying on _three_. She chose a knee-length, bubble skirted dress, with the top a tucked-tank style (according to Sango and my mother and the sales lady). The color was hard to describe for me…sort of a raisinette dark pink. Whatever it was, it looked very good on Sango. There was a thin tie around the waist that tied off behind a rose on the side.

So, once we were done with all that, I had to wait while Sango chose a pair of heels to go with. She chose reasonable-heighted stilettos that were silver.

As I collapsed into my seat in the back seat of Sango's SUV, I nearly fell asleep immediately. I rolled the window down a crack to let the wind bow against my face, and I leaned my head back against the soft, comfy seat. The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by my mother and we were home.

I climbed out of the car and was greeted by a pair of familiar arms. I smiled and hugged Inuyasha back, resting my head against his shoulder. He pulled me up to my house and we went straight to the living room where he sat with me on the couch. He offered me the remote for the TV, but I shook my head. I was perfectly fine with just sitting in the silence.

For background noise, I assumed, he flicked the power button on and flipped through the channels quickly before settling on one that wasn't distracting but not obnoxious, either.

"How was your day?" he murmured into my hair.

"Long," I sighed. I was lying against his chest, my eyes closed, and totally content. My arms were wrapped around him securely.

He chuckled quietly. "So, about the other day…what was it that you were trying to do?"

My eyes snapped open and I frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The way you tried to act like you wanted us to stay and then you suddenly decided you wanted us to leave…why was that, by the way?"

I blushed furiously. I refused to meet his eyes. "I just thought it would be better if you spent some time with Miroku alone, is all. He is your best man and all."

He snorted. "I _live_ with him. I get plenty of time with him, alone or otherwise."

"Still." I was going to stubbornly refuse to say anything more than that, starting now.

To further distract from the topic, I tilted my head and lightly pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back, but I had the feeling the subject would not be dropped. Well, he could go ahead and be that way. See how I react to it.

But, for now, I would just enjoy this moment. Kissing my…fiancée. It was a strange feeling knowing that we would be married in less than a week, but not bad. No, never a bad feeling.

**A/N: **Check out the dress links on my profile page! They're at the top, along with Rin's! Sorry for the shortness.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Ack! I could not think of what to write! SOOOO sorry! And I've recently developed a sickness that is yet to be determined (don't know if it's a cold or allergies). So, my throat hurts and I've got a nasty cough. These combined have caused me to lose my voice for short periods of time twice now. (It's maddening, I tell you!) But I'm trying, I really am, to get my current stories done so you guys can read my new, unposted ones! They'll be good, I promise. There's only a few weeks of school left, so I should be able to reign these in quite easily then. I promise! (Seriously, if I break this promise, you have my full premission to yell at me. I encourage it, even!)

Onward!

**Chapter 11**

I could not sleep. I turned over in my bed again, and stared at the dark wall of my dark room. My mother would surely scold me if I had bags under my eyes for my wedding, but that fact seemed to make me all the more restless.

Maybe thinking about a wedding, a wedding that was _mine_, was not the best sleep remedy.

I tried to clear my head. I thought of things that would make me sleepy. It took a while, but I finally settled into a fitful sleep. It seemed like minutes later my mom was shaking me awake.

When I grudgingly let her push me towards the bathroom, realization hit. Hard. My eyes popped wide open in anxiety.

I took a quick shower, letting the hot water relax my suddenly tense muscles. It was a nice effect, but it wore off once the water was shut off. I dressed in a simple tank top and sweatpants, since sitting in my wedding dress while my hair and makeup were done would surely be a nightmare.

I towel dried my hair and brushed my teeth furiously, worrying my gums. I spit and washed water through my mouth, and when I looked back in the mirror, I had hectic spots of red forming across my cheek bones. Oh, _that's_ pretty…

"Kagome!" I heard my mother call up the stairs when I opened the bathroom door. "We need to be at the hair salon in fifteen minutes, hurry up!"

I went to my room and grabbed a few things; my phone, a chapstick, the giant white plastic bag holding my wedding dress…

--

While I sat in the chair and had my hair twisted and pulled and curled, I contemplated something sad. My father.

I'd asked my mother to walk with me instead. I was sinking into a slight depression as I thought more and more about the fact that my father would never get to give me away to the man I loved most in the world.

About forty-five minutes later, my hair was in a pretty, loose French twist. Little tendrils of curls came down around my neck and face. I also had little pins with sapphires on the tips that sparkled when I turned my head. My mother had surprised me with them the day before.

Something blue: check.

I was then greeted by the girl that was there to do my makeup. She put on a very slightly tinted moisturizer and then did my eye-makeup. She kept it simple, which I liked because Inuyasha liked me best when I wore little-to-no makeup. He always said I didn't need it.

When I looked back in the mirror after all my primping was finished, I was surprised by the glowing, beautiful face that stared back at me. My cheeks were a pretty rosy color, as were my lips. The way the makeup around my eyes had been done made my eyes pop and look big and round, reminding me of the way a child's innocent, curious eyes looked.

My mother hurried me out of my seat. She had been beautified as well. Sango looked stunning, with her hair curled perfectly and pinned back in a half-up style. Her long locks were draped over one shoulder.

And now: To the church. (Gulp.)

--

I sat and stared at myself in the little mirror. I was in my wedding dress. I still loved it the same as I had when I'd tried it on. Except now it was hard to breathe (but I'm pretty sure that was my fault, not the dress's).

I focused on one thing, the only thought that could really keep me together at the moment; I thought of Inuyasha preparing in the same building as me, of him maybe thinking the same things as me. It was extremely comforting.

My mother was carefully putting my veil into my hair with a comb that had more sapphires in it, along with a couple diamonds. According to her, she'd worn it at her wedding.

Something borrowed _and_ something old: check.

My dress was new, so I had all of that traditional nonsense taken care of.

And suddenly, my mother was pulling me to my feet and turning me around, draping part of the veil over my face. Her eyes sparkled with tears. Sango looked on with a similar expression, but without the tears.

Well crap. Now _my_ eyes were stinging.

"Mama, stop it. You're making me want to cry too." I reached up and dabbed my fingers along my eyes, trying to be careful of my mascara. Mama laughed.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so proud of you." Her voice grew shaky and faint in the middle of her last sentence. A new round of tears came for both of us.

"Thank you, Mama." I hugged her. "For everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You too, sweetheart. I love you."

"Kagome?" I heard Sango call quietly. "Are you ready? It's just about time."

My heart sped up and I took a deep breath, nodding to her. I didn't quite trust my voice yet. I smiled. She grinned back at me.

Just then, my other bridesmaids, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, squealed as they came through the door. "Oh, Kagome! You look so beautiful!"

"You must be so excited!"

I just smiled at them. I nodded. And then I had to sit down, because the room had started to spin, which seemed like quite an unhealthy thing to experience while standing.

They crowded towards me in concern. I waved them off, saying, "I'll be fine, you need to get ready. Go, go."

The minister came in and checked that we were all ready to begin the ceremony. I stood, breathing deeply through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. I walked with everyone to the area behind the doors. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi lined up with Inuyasha's other groomsmen. Sango hooked arms with Miroku.

And I was at the end, standing beside my grandpa and staring at the line of friends who were a part of my wedding. I could hear the music playing. I could feel Inuyasha's presence, could feel him waiting for me in the next room.

The doors opened and they began walking, a slow and steady pace. As Sango and Miroku began their walk, Sango snuck one last smile and wink to me.

They closed the doors again. I approached and prepared to concentrate on not stumbling. I glanced at Grandpa, and he patted my hand reassuringly. I smiled at him.

And then the doors opened. Everyone stood up and looked my way. I played my role as the blushing bride, and began walking forward in time to the wedding march that echoed through the room. I looked at the sea of faces focused on me. And then I locked gazes with Inuyasha.

I forgot about everything around me, centered my attention on him and only him. It took a bit of effort not to run to him. It wasn't too long a walk. I could do this.

And then my grandpa was turning me towards him, lifting my veil, placing my hand in Inuyasha's. Inuyasha squeezed my hand affectionately. I smiled at him.

His eyes sparkled with the absolute joy. He stared intensely into my eyes, leading me closer to where the minister stood. We faced each other and held tightly to both of each other's hands. My eyes were stinging again, but I held the tears in to the best of my abilities.

The minister began with his speech about the seriousness of joining a man and a woman in matrimony, how it was something not to be done hastily, yadda yadda yadda. I didn't totally pay attention to him, as my mind was focused on Inuyasha and the fact that this day had finally come after over a year of engagement.

And then it was time for our vows. It had been a tough decision between writing our own and sticking with the traditional stuff. On one hand, it was a chance to proclaim just how truly and deeply we were in love to everyone we cared about. On the other hand, we already knew how much we loved each other. Should we really stress over the right wording?

So, we went with traditional. The minister turned to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, do you take Kagome for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

He stared at nothing but my face, my eyes. "I do."

I smiled at him. It was getting quite difficult to hold the tears in. The minister turned to me.

"Kagome, do you take Inuyasha for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

I couldn't keep the single tear from streaking down my cheek as I said, "I do."

We repeated the traditional wedding vows. The minister asked for the rings.

He held my ring and said, "May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Inuyasha held my left hand up and began sliding the ring onto my finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

And now it was my turn to give Inuyasha his. I repeated the same and then the minister said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Inuyasha smiled down at me and wrapped an arm around my waist. I automatically threw my arms around his neck, and we shared our first kiss as husband and wife. More tears trailed down my cheeks. We were both smiling into the kiss. And then we parted, the kiss feeling too short but we were, after all, in a church, so I suppose it was proper.

The minister had one last thing to say. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the loving couple Mr. and Mrs. Taisho."

I had to grin at this. My name was now Kagome Taisho. I restrained a giggle, settling for a wide smile at Inuyasha, who wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked towards the exit. We were showered in rice (screw the damn birds and the "you have to throw bird seed because birds choke on rice" thing! Let the little fuckers die) and we got into the car that would take us to the reception.

And we were now alone. For the first time as husband and wife. It seemed pretty significant to me.

"We…" I couldn't speak. I was to overwhelmed with joy.

"We're married," Inuyasha said, finishing my thought. He looked down at me, his expression suddenly concerned. "Are you happy?"

I stared at him, bewildered by his question. He really _still_ had doubts? After I just _married_ him? "Of _course_ I'm happy, my silly, stupid half-demon."

He smiled down at me. I put a hand to his cheek and caressed it lightly with my thumb. He leaned into my touch slightly. I leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. "Enough of your ridiculous doubts, Inuyasha. We're married, right? Obviously, I love you."

He gazed down at me with smoldering eyes. I smiled reassuringly at him. I whispered, "I'm yours. Don't worry."

At this, he put his hands on both sides of my head and kissed me earnestly, as if to punctuate my words. Seriously, where did all these doubts of my love for him come from?

He pulled away. Against my lips, he murmured, "I love you."

"I know," I sighed. He smirked.

And then the car stopped, and it was time for the reception.

"Ready?" he asked me.

I gripped his hand tightly in mine. "Now I am."

* * *

**A/N:** Aww, yay, some nice fluff and the part you've all been waiting for…they are wed! Yippee!

About the part with the rice and the birds…yeaaahhh….

Okay. So I have this thing about robins. This one time a few years ago, there was this robin, who I appropriately name Lucifer, and he decided he didn't like my window. So, at six in the morning, in the middle of summer, he would perch on the tree outside my bedroom window and repeatedly fly into the window, producing a loud, unhealthy-sounding _**thud**_. He kept this up for a couple weeks. And I was on _summer break_. SIX IN THE MORNING. I wanted to kill the fucking bird. So, yeah, I wouldn't care if a few birds died because they were stupid enough to eat a grain of freaking rice.

Oh, and did I mention this was not the first time I'd ever experienced this? A couple years before this robin, another one did the same thing. Must be something in water around here…(seriously, I think that. I'm not from here, so I am a normal height for my age, but the eighth graders coming to my school as freshmen next year are strangely short…its freaky man! They're, like, stunted! Or maybe it's all the energy drinks that have become so popular - which I do not drink.)

Okay! I'm seriously rambling now. One more chapter and then epilogue, wheeee! I'm so excited to finish this!

Reviews are greatly appreciated! TTFN, my lovelies!


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